Simple courgette fritters are perfect for a quick lunch or light supper, and they are very seasonal. I know the courgettes are available all year round in the grocery shops, but they now have a lot of flavour, and this is the time for many beautiful dishes with this humble vegetable. Although the word fritters conjures up deep frying and greasy dishes, the patties are light, and the cooking uses little oil. The courgette fritters can be eaten straight out of the pan or warm with a dollop of crème fresh. Find the recipe here…

This is the most delicious summer dessert: crisp outside and fluffy inside waffles, slightly sweet whipped cream and summer berries dusted with icing sugar. You can use any summer fruits of your liking: strawberries, raspberries or blueberries. The recipe is easy and quick, and the payoff is enormous. How long you cook the waffles and how many you get depend on your waffle machine, but the portion of the batter makes about 16 delicious squares ready to be paired with sweet fruits and cream. Find the recipe here.

Open-faced Spanish Omelette is one of the best-known and universally liked Spanish dishes. It’s also my signature dish loved by customers of a small coffee shop, The Haven, based in Ealing, (W5) London. Often served as a tapa in Spain along with other nibbles and drinks, this little dish also can be the best meal any time of the day. Spanish tortilla is made with eggs, diced potatoes, onions and meat such as chorizo. If you are vegetarian, you can skip the sausage. The tortilla tastes best at room temperature or cold, served with salad or garlic mayonnaise. Find the recipe here…

There aren’t many contemporary sources that confirm the origin of this condiment. Bread and Butter Pickles were allegedly a Depression-era staple due to their high availability and low-cost ingredients. They can also most likely trace their roots back to the early 1920s and Cora Fanning from Illinois, who made the pickles with the surplus of little cucumbers and exchanged them with a local grocer for household staples like bread and butter. Whatever the story is, these tangy and sweet crunchy cucumbers are an excellent addition to sandwiches, burgers and wraps. They are a great summer condiment when cucumbers are in season. Find the recipe here...

Crostini, called in France Croutons, are small slim slices of toasted bread. They are served with different toppings: pâtés, rillettes, and spreads and make a fabulous canape or aperitivo with a drink. Ideal crostini are bite-size, made from a stale baguette, brushed with olive oil or butter, and baked in the oven until golden. Once you discover how to make crostini/croutons, you will never again resort to store-bought varieties. I serve my little crusty rounds with homemade Vegetable Spread, Pork Pâté and Duck Rillettes. Find the recipe here…

This is a classic dish served in the United Kingdom and Ireland as an accompaniment to roast turkey for a Christmas dinner or as a side dish. Pigs in Blankets, also called kilted soldiers are small chipolatas wrapped in bacon, and baked in the oven until crisp. I used the chipolatas of the usual size and divided each sausage into half to get ‘pigs’ that can be served as finger food or a one-bite size dish. And honey drizzle made this staple of the festive season super sticky and shiny. Find the recipe here...

I like to keep it simple: a ripe avocado mixed with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. But you can add whatever you like: hot peppers such as jalapeño or serrano, finely chopped onion, coriander and tomatoes. The secret of good guacamole is a perfectly ripe avocado smashed with the fork or pestle in the mortar. It's best eaten right after being prepared because the avocado oxidizes and turns brown. Guacamole can be prepared in advance but must be refrigerated in an airtight container, sprinkled with lemon juice, and covered with a piece of plastic wrap. Find the recipe here

This is a type of relish-like salsa commonly used in Mexican cuisine. A simple combination of fresh tomatoes and onion, serrano or jalapeno chilli peppers, lime juice and coriander, generously seasoned with salt, is also called salsa fresca, salsa Mexicana or salsa cruda. You can enjoy Pico de Gallo with tortilla crisps, Totopos, tacos or quesadilla. Make it a few hours in advance to let all-natural juices combine and marinate together, providing the salsa with more flavour.  For those who can’t stand fresh coriander - use parsley instead. Find the recipe here...

The Summer Galettes are equally delicious hot or cold. They make a delightful picnic appetizer and can be served with meat, fish or vegetables, with cold toppings like tzatziki. The Galettes are great for a quick lunch accompanied by green leaves salad with a dash of vinaigrette. They can be made in advance and kept in the fridge until served. You even can reheat them on the barbecue. Find the recipe here...

This round flatbread with a pocket inside originated within communities west of the Mediterranean Sea and is considered the oldest type of bread in the world. Pita Bread is made from yeast-leavened wheat dough and baked at high temperatures in the oven or on a cast-iron skillet. It goes well with meat, cheese, and grilled and raw vegetables. The pita also makes an excellent starter when served with sauces and dips such as hummus, baba ghanush, and tzatziki. My homemade Pita Bread puffs up beautifully and forms the signature interior pocket you can fill with anything you like. Find the recipe here…

You can vary the vegetables according to your taste or what’s in season and make this Tarte Tatin a great starter or accompaniment to any meat meal. I’ve used new root vegetables, onion, and chicory, a few pieces of chilli pepper, thyme leaves – as simple as that – and homemade rough puff pastry. Serve Roast Vegetables Tarte Tatin warm, with a glass of cold white wine. Find the recipe here...

Three primary ingredients - black chickpea, black garlic, and black tahini- create this dip's distinctive earthy flavour and odd colour. Kala Chana, a black cousin of yellow chickpea, make a nutty and firm-textured base. Black tahini from unhulled sesame seeds, adds a slight bitterness and toasty flavour, black garlic- a bit of sweetness. The  Black Chickpea Hummus calls for raw garlic and lemon juice like traditional hummus, but unlike it needs a splash of olive oil and a pinch of cumin to develop the flavour. Spooky Black Hummus can be served with flat bread, but it's excellent with raw vegetables or crispbread.  Find the recipe here…

This is not quite a usual spread. It makes a beautiful and elegant starter if served as a canapé with crispbread or sourdough crackers. It can also be eaten as a meal, for breakfast or small lunch, with warm toast or freshly baked bun. Smoked Trout Pâté is rich in flavour - creamy, lemony, with a hint of smokiness and a quite amount of fresh dill. And although you can find the pâté in every supermarket today, don’t buy it. It’s simple and quick to make – you need only 5 minutes to whip it up. Find the recipe here…

Pickling the radishes completely changes their flavour. They lose bitterness and become sweet, salty and sour. You can use them almost everywhere as they land a lovely bite, they don’t overpower other flavours, add great texture and beautiful pink colour to a dish. Pickled radishes can be a delicious addition to a salad, tacos, burgers, Asian food, toasts, open sandwiches and many many more. They will last in the fridge for a few weeks, but are the best after 24 hours because they still have their crispiness and nice texture. Find the recipe here…

Gougères are cheese puffs made from choux pastry mixed with a generous amount of cheese. Gruyère is the classic choice but I also use Grana Padano, Cheddar, Emmental or Comté of good quality as the better quality the cheese, the better the Gougères. The cheese puffs can be served with soups or salads but they taste great filled with a savoury sauce, vegetable or meat and make wonderful finger food or canapé when you make them bite-sized. Find the recipe here…

Asparagus is a wonderful spring vegetable and considered to be one of the delicacies of the vegetable world. It’s good grilled and roasted, fried with exotic spices, with pasta and lasagne, in omelettes and soups. Fresh, crispy green shoots look exceptional in this elegant French quiche and their nutty flavour comes perfectly with the sweetness of roasted pepper semi-confit and savoury custard-based filling.  It is a perfect springtime appetizer, makes delicious light lunch. Find the recipe here…

Politiko Simiti are braided circular sesame-crusted bread rings. They're a fuller version of traditional Greek and Turkish bagels - Koulouri and Simiti and originate from the Greek bakers of Constantinople. Politiko Simiti are coated with petimezi – grape sweet molasses that creates caramelisation in the oven, with toasted sesame seeds and then baked. They're crunchy outside, soft and a bit gooey inside. Simiti can be served plain, with jam or cheese such as feta and olives. Traditionally the bagels are baked the same day after a two-stage rise but I kept them in the fridge overnight to get their flavour developed and have the texture lighter. Find the recipe here

Hot Cross Buns are a staple of British cuisine. They are made from enriched yeast dough packed with dried fruits, lemon or orange zest, spices and marked with an icing or dough cross on top. The cross is believed to represent the crucifixion of Jesus, the spies signify the spices used to embalm him at his burial. Traditionally spiced and fruited buns are eaten hot or toasted on Good Friday and Easter, however people buy them whenever they feel like a sweet and aromatic bun. In 1592, Queen Elizabeth I banned the sale of hot cross buns on every day except for Good Friday, Christmas and at funerals as they were too special to be eaten daily. Find the recipe for aromatic hot cross buns with a pinch of saffron here…

Marinated feta cheese is a king of toppings. It’s served on salads and open toasts, with grilled meat and fried vegetables but also makes amazing finger food to serve for entertaining. Marinated cubes have a beautiful texture and fresh aromatic flavour which comes from spices, herbs and lemon. They taste as delightful as they look so I use them - along with pickled cucumber and black olives to make colourful easy-to-grab cocktail skewers. Find the recipe here…

Pickled cucumber is a delicious addition to charcuterie or cheese board, grate for serving alongside with burgers and sandwiches, as a cocktail condiment and a pickle on skewers. I like it pickled in slightly vinegary brine with aromatic spices: cloves, cardamom pod, mustard and caraway seeds, peppercorns and bay leaf. It has a nice fresh tangy flavour with a little kick and is great just after 3-4 hours in the brine. Pickled cucumber thinly sliced makes wonderful vegetable carpaccio which comes brilliantly with pâté or rillette. Find the recipe here…

I like these simple flat and crunchy crackers because they are versatile and fancy. They are perfect pair for cheese and wine or a cheese and charcuterie board, great with dips made from pulses like hummus and peammus or fantastic as a classic snack with the seed topping. Homemade Crackers are simple to bake, the only challenge I can find is rolling the dough as thin and even as possible which ensures that they are crispy. I cut the crackers in advance but they also can be snapped into shards after baking – their irregular shapes look amazing in bread baskets. Find the recipe for Seed-Topped Crackers here

As a snack – perfect. For dipping – even better. Crispy Italian Breadsticks widely called Grissini, are served in restaurants as an appetizer accompanied by antipasti such as olives, cheese and cured meat. They are made of flour, yeast, water and olive oil, shaped by hand and baked in high temperature ideally in a wood-burning oven. Breadsticks are essentially all delicious golden-brown crust and that beautiful crust makes them so addictive. Make grissini at home as a party nibble.  Bake them as you like - plain or flavoured, sprinkled with sesame seeds, poppy seeds or sea salt before baking. Serve with favourite hummus or cocktails. Find the recipe here…

Perfect hummus is not a five-minute job. You have to put a little work in to get a marvellous result. Dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight and then cooked, are essential and can never be replaced by canned ones. There are no substitutes for fresh garlic and freshly squeezed lemon juice, giving the hummus a citrusy flavour. Nutty and lightly bitter Tahini should be as fresh as possible, and its flavour in the mixture is only perceptible. Fresh hummus with paprika sprinkles and olive oil drizzle is the best. Serve with flatbread, crusty toasts or as a dip for fresh vegs. Find the recipe here…

Everybody loves crackers! Everybody loves cheddar cheese crackers! The mass produced snacks are usually full of bad ingredients such as flavour enhances, preservatives, leavening, contain a lot of salt but not real cheddar cheese. If you think that making home-baked cheddar cheese crackers from scratch involves tons of hard work and time, you don’t know how wrong you are. That will take you no more than 2 hours. You may use any kind of cheddar cheese – mild or mature, any spices you like - grounded paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper. Up to your taste. Cheddar cheese crackers are high-calories snacks but who eats them every day? Find the recipe here...